Selling It Like It Is

Kotex recently rolled out a new product line in the US called U by Kotex that finally gets women.

For years, my friends and I have commented on the gag-worthy feminine hygiene commercials we're subjected to. You know what I'm talking about, the commercials with the girls on the beach playing volleyball or twirling around in flirty skirts, or most heinous of all, receiving a "monthly gift" from Mother Nature.

My least favorite ad? Always, please stop telling me to "have a happy period." I might have to ram a tampon into the collective throat of the feminine hygiene products industry. While these ads are made for women, it is clear that they are made by men and are not entirely that appealing to a female viewing audience.

So, I have to thank Kotex for not trying to make periods something more than they are. From their ad campaign: "At U by Kotex®, we think it’s high time we all stopped being so damn shy about our vaginas." Let's not try to sugar coat the period. It's a mundane part of the average female experience. But it's not a happy, carefree, twirly, fun time. It's more of a I'm bleeding, bloaty and my hormones are out of control, so please just give me a product that will make me feel a little less uncomfortable time.

Honestly, I think commercials for tampons and pads are kind of superfluous. I mean, speaking from experience, once you find a style you're comfortable with and find a brand you can trust, that's what you stick with. Though I don't care for its packaging, I think U by Kotex will draw some positive buzz for their fresh, humorous parody-of-hygiene-commercials commercial. Thanks for keeping it real.

Lessons the Super Bowl (Ads) Taught Me

Apparently, the worst possible thing for men is to be married. OR have a significant other. Because all women do is nag. And make you take responsibility for your actions. And make you walk around with their bra on your shoulder in the mall. And force you to marry them. And subdue you until you agree to make babies with them.

If not, that's what the advertising industry wants us to think. I read somewhere over the weekend that 51% of the Super Bowl viewing audience looks forward to the ads as much, if not more, than the game. And I'm willing to bet that women constitute a hefty portion of that segment. So it's sad that a majority of the Super Bowl ads, which are hailed as the best of the best, portrayed women in a negative light.

It's clear that all but one Super Bowl ad, the one that advocated women's heart health (I'm not counting the anti-abortion ad, that's a whole other story), were made with men in mind as the target demographic. I know that men are typically associated with sports watching, but most women I know watched the game (even if for some, it was just about the ads).

Now, I don't like ads in general, so I don't see what's so exciting about ads companies that are already a part of the American consciousness (Coke, Budwesier, Snickers,) spend millions of dollars on. Come on Google, you're brand is a verb; there's no reason for you to waste your money on a Super Bowl ad.

With such a large viewing audience, I do find it disturbing that misogyny was the overarching theme of the night.



Here's what I learned from watched the ads:

1. Having to do things for your girlfriend sucks.
2. The only thing worse is to have to do things for your wife. You married her, what else does she expect?
3. Men are long-suffering and put-upon.
4. Dove is for women. But Dove for Men apparently is injected with testosterone, which makes it manly.
5. Kids are just obligations.
6. Sexual harassment = awesome
7. The only time women are interesting is when they are naked or about to get naked
8. And this seemed to be the big one - Men, in their natural state, like to be pantless